In the late 1800s, Wilmington was the largest city in North Carolina and its population was also majority Black, a rarity in the post-Civil War South.
On this day in 1898, in reaction to the degree of Black influence in local government, a mob of white supremacists unleashed terror on the city of Wilmington.
Around 2,000 men stormed the city and set fire to homes and businesses. Lost in the flames was “The Daily Record,” a Black-owned newspaper which was a beacon for the city’s Black residents.
Historians estimate the mob killed anywhere from 60 to 250 people.
All this and more on “Prime.”
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